A contagious skin infection caused by tiny mites that burrow under the skin, causing intense itching and a rash.
From Latin 'scabies' (roughness, mange), from 'scabere' (to scratch). The word literally comes from the scratching that the condition causes.
Scabies has been around since ancient times—historians found evidence of it in Egyptian mummies—and it was so common in poor communities that it was called 'the seven-year itch,' which is probably why scratching is forever linked to the word in history.
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